I use Burton wheelie GIG BAG and I carry two boards in it. I also pack it full of soft gear (jackets,pants,boots) to give it cushion to protect them from those airport morons. I had a non wheelie bag before and it was a pain in the ass having to carry it on my sholder. I use the soft shell bag because it can fold up and easy to shove in a rental car and easy to store.

Crash pad shorts or impact shorts, I'd go a little bigger for the comfort of you're private parts. Lesson learned on that one.

That's alot of stuff to fit in a board bag. I split my gear between two check in bags and a carry on. And you have to decide what better suits your needs. A hard shell case would protect you're gear better but might be a pain in the ass to transport in a rental car.

And I thought you decided on burton shorts due to a discount. There are a ton of choices out there. I personally don't think burton impact shorts have enough butt bone coverage. The butt gets most of the attention, weather sitting in the snow or falling.

I recommend the McDavid Hexpad padded shorts to my friends. The hex shape is very popular in most sports because it bends and flex with you're body and movements. And I would order a size up from your typical size.

I also wear knee pads. Not only because I try alot of tricks and if you don't fall you are not pushing yourself but because when I ride and need to stop for various reasons, I stop on my toe edge and use my knees and after a long day of resting on my knees they start to hurt.